Typically, portable vacuum cleaners employ a motor that is powered by a battery or a main supply such as alternating or direct current. The motor has an impeller that upon activation creates an airflow which entrains dirt, dust, grime, etc. and transports it to a holding area or bag inside the vacuum cleaner. Filters are typically used to prevent the collected dirt and dust from leaving the confines of the vacuum cleaner and polluting the surrounding air and structures.
A known issue with vacuum cleaners, and filters in general, is that such filters readily become burdened with debris after a short time, thereby reducing the efficiency of the associated device. Once the filter has reached this level of saturation, a user must disassemble the vacuum or other device and remove the filter. The filter is then cleaned by hand or thrown away and a new filter is installed. This repeated removing and/or purchasing of the filter is time consuming and laborious, which can be an overriding factor in an individual simply continuing to use the appliance long after the filter should have been changed. This results in decreased appliance efficiency, giving way for longer use times to clean, for example, a soiled floor. This increased usage directly results in increased wear and tear on the parts of the appliance thereby decreasing the lifespan of the parts or the appliance as a whole.
Thus, there is a needs for a simple and effective mechanism to which by a filter can be cleaned and replaced while exposing the user to a minimal amount of airborne debris as a result of the cleaning. The present invention and various embodiments thereof meet and exceed these objectives.
Review of Related Technology:
U.S. Pat. No. 8,568,536 pertains to a tool for removing particulate matter from a diesel particulate filter (DPF) includes a container defining a chamber that has an open end, and a support associated with the open end that supports a first axial end of the DPF and forms a seal around an outside surface of the can of the DPF and the container. An air nozzle mounted proximate to a second axial end of the DPF directs a narrow flow of air through the DPF that passes through a portion of the DPF element bundle and exits through the first axial end into the container.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,351,269 pertains to a brush configured to move repeatedly over a vacuum filter. The brush will remove dust particles to prevent them from clogging the filter. In the preferred embodiment, the brush is mounted on a revolving shaft. As the shaft turns it moves the bristles of the brush over the surface of the filter, whereby dust particles may be dislodged. In one embodiment, the shaft is attached to the vacuum motor and is turned directly by the motor. In this embodiment a speed reducer may be employed to slow the rate of rotation of the brush. In another embodiment, a turbine is attached to the shaft. The turbine is placed in the path of the air stream moving through the vacuum. The air passing through the turbine cause it and the shaft to rotate, thereby reducing the load on the motor.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,569,218 pertains to a method of using vacuum cleaner filters that includes mounting a cylindrical-shaped filter cartridge coaxially on a rotatable spindle. Then air is drawn radially through a filter material wall of the filter cartridge. Periodically, the cartridge filter on the spindle is spun to dislodge any debris entrapped in the filter material by centrifugal force. Air flow is selectively drawn or pushed radially through a filter material wall of the filter cartridge. A clutch disposed between a motor and the spindle is used to periodically spin the cartridge filter on the spindle to dislodge any debris entrapped in the filter material by centrifugal force. Preferably, a motor that can be run in either a forward direction or a reverse direction is used.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,330,065 pertains to a rotatable holding rack to facilitate the process of cleaning reusable washable cartridge filters, such as those filters commonly used with swimming pool filtration systems. A vertically positioned cartridge filter is securely mounted onto a rotatable wash rack and is held in a stationary mode as the frontally exposed area is washed clean by a hand-held jet-nozzled water hose. The filter unit is then revolved to the next selected frontal exposure, by rotating a finned circular flat platform to which the filter unit is attached, by redirecting the water-force of the hand-held hose to rotatable platform fins.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,143,529 pertains to a filter cleaning apparatus for cleaning cylindrical filters comprising a support frame, a mounting clamp on the support frame for supporting a filter in a vertical orientation, inner and outer air nozzles mounted for vertical movement along the inner and outer surfaces of a filter for directing an air jet against the respective surface for dislodging debris therefrom, and inner and outer vacuum nozzles mounted adjacent to and moveable with the air nozzles for drawing in debris dislodged by the air jets.
Various devices are known in the art. However, their structure and means of operation are substantially different from the present disclosure. Such devices require external power sources to drive motors and expel debris. The other inventions also fail to solve all the problems taught by the present disclosure. The present invention and its embodiments provide for a filter cleaner that is readily portable and requires no external electricity to operate. At least one embodiment of this invention is presented in the drawings below and will be described in more detail herein.